Developer- and Publisher-specific Articles: FPS

Activision has announced that Bungie will be rolling out its first expansion pack for Destiny, The Dark Below, on December 9. The pack’s full contents are listed below, but gamers can expect to find new weapons and gear, a level cap bump up to 32, three versus arenas, and new co-op strike missions, raids, and story quests. PlayStation gamers will also receive a timed exclusive strike mission, The Undying Mind.

Microsoft has detailed HaloFest, a series of events being hosted by 343 Industries in celebration of the impending release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The studio plans on hosting broadcasts of interviews, new gameplay footage from the campaign, and sneak peeks of both the multiplayer beta as well as the first episode of Halo: Nightfall. The bulk of the festivities will take place on November 10 at the Avalon Theatre in Los Angeles, but a tournament will kick things off on November 8-9 and all events will be viewable via streams on Twitch, Xbox.com, and Xbox Live. The schedule is available below, and event details can be found on the official Facebook page. To get fans ready, 343 has released a new trailer debuting the live-action series Halo: Nightfall.

Far Cry 4’s season pass has been detailed today by Ubisoft. The $29.99 pass will be available for all versions at launch and include new missions and modes for both solo and co-op play. A day-one mission, The Syringe, is a single or co-op mission exclusive for season pass holders that pits players against Pagan Min’s forces in a game of keep-away as they attempt to safeguard a recipe. In addition, there will be four other download packs. Escape from Durgesh Prison will be an open-world survival mode playable solo or in co-op, Hurk Deluxe Pack will include five missions and a new weapon, Overrun will add a player-versus-player territory-style mode, and Valley of the Yetis will add a horde-style mode playable solo or in co-op. Details for each are available below.

Activision has released new sales data for Bungie’s latest shooter, Destiny. Going by NPD and Activision’s internal estimates, Destiny holds the title of being gaming’s biggest launch of a new franchise. Additionally, it is also the only new gaming franchise in the top 30 all-time based on US retail sales during launch month, and its launch month retail sales put it in the top 10 largest of all time in the US. Activision Publishing’s CEO Eric Hirshberg also noted that gamers are still playing Destiny for an average of three hours a day.

343 Industries has announced that Halo: The Master Chief Collection has gone gold. The Xbox One set will also be receiving a wider release with most territories now scheduled to get the game on the earlier release date, November 11. The countries not included in the bump are Belgium (November 12), Japan (November 13), and France (November 14). The game will also go live for pre-order and pre-download later today, which will allow gamers to pre-load the game to have it ready to play the second it goes live. Those going the digital route should take advantage of that option, as there will be a lot to download: 45 GB for the game and another 20 GB for a launch content patch, which will include “some features and multiplayer content.” The campaign will be playable as content is installing.

For the next 48 hours, GOG.com is offering a free copy of Aliens versus Predator to users who sign up to beta test GOG Galaxy. GOG Galaxy is the service’s upcoming multiplayer client, and the game is being provided as a way for gamers to try the system and for GOG to see how the infrastructure holds up under increased stress. Bearing in mind that this is Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000, one of the better titles to use the licenses, and that the game will remain in the user’s library, this is a pretty nice bonus. A cross-compatibility update with Steam is set to go live “soon.” GOG-ers (if we can make that a thing) can head here to sign up for a copy.

The last of the six classic multiplayer maps being added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been announced, Warlord. The map will included as part of Halo 2: Anniversary, but it originated in Halo as Wizard, which was followed by two further revisions, the first as Warlock in Halo 2 and the second as Magus in Halo: Reach. This updated version will feature additional skill jumps, more cover, and a new weapon located in the center. Warlord joins Ascension, Coagulation, Lockout, Sanctuary, and Zanzibar.

Activision has announced a free upgrade plan for the digital versions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Gamers who pick up the current-gen versions through Live for 360 or PSN for PS3 by March 31 will be able to download their next-gen equivalent for Xbox One or PS4 at no additional cost. All multiplayer stats and DLC purchases, including the Season Pass, will also carry over to the new versions for free, as long as the Xbox Gamertag and PSN ID are the same. Note that physical copies aren’t eligible for the free upgrade.

Respawn has released Titanfall’s third download pack, IMC Rising, for PC and Xbox One. The $9.99 add-on features three new maps. The new entries include Backwater, a hidden colony; Sandtrap, a secret fuel extraction site; and Zone 18, a covert robotics factory. No word on when IMC Rising will be released for the Xbox 360 version.